Procrastination can strike us all, at any time and ahead of any task! 

One thing we hear from students a lot is that they struggle when it comes to procrastinating school work. So what can you do to break the cycle of procrastinating? 

Well, that is a hard question to answer! This is something that likely most people have dealt with at some point in their life and may not have a solution that works each time to overcome it. Below are four suggestions we have when it comes to how to overcome procrastination of a task, and hopefully one of these will help you next time you’re feeling stuck!

1. Make and use a schedule!

This seems very obvious but can be a small change you make that helps you procrastinate less. A very useful tool here is a printed planner where you can break up your day into timed sections and allocate tasks during those times. It makes it harder to not stick to your schedule when it is written down in front of you! The human mind is an incredibly powerful rationalization tool for bad decisions and you may find that if you haven’t made a plan and scheduled out how you’re going to spend your time, all of a sudden that one hour of Netflix becomes three (the shows do autoplay onto the next episode, after all!) 

However, if you’ve written down that you’re going to start your homework at 4pm, you have to at least ignore the plan that past-you made in order to procrastinate. In psychology this is called “externalizing” which is what you’re doing when you’re writing your plan down on an external source and making something that you are kept accountable by. If you don’t have a schedule or a planner it is much easier and more tempting to procrastinate. 

Read more: 5 Tips To Study Smarter – Not Harder!

2. Eliminate distractions 

In the time it’s taken you to read this blog, have you found your mind wandering elsewhere? Maybe to another tab in your browser to look at something else, or to the cell phone sitting on the desk next to you? 

Another one of those ‘obvious but we’ll still say it’ tips is that it’s much easier to get distracted by social media if you have the tab open on your laptop or your phone right next to you lighting up each time someone tags you in a meme on Instagram. Funnily enough, there are many apps you can use to help you eliminate the distraction that is your phone. Freedom.to is just one option (and there are many out there) that can help with eliminating digital distractions. 

Think about your work space and where you’re settling to actually complete tasks. It’s much harder to stay focused if you’re working in front of the TV or lying in bed when you’re already feeling tired. Find a space that is comfortable and has everything you need close by, but make sure it’s a space dedicated to getting work done and not somewhere that you associate with sleep or a movie night. 

3. Set unambitious goals 

This sounds a little crazy but has worked for me many times in my life. If you’re approaching a massive task and are feeling overwhelmed by it, it’s easy not to see how you can even start that task and therefore you put it off. Long term projects or large papers can create this kind of procrastination because every time you think about starting it, you think about doing the WHOLE project all at once, which is overwhelming. 

The key with procrastination like this is to make the starting point of your big project so small and so unambitious that it doesn’t take a lot of mental energy to start. It could be just writing the first sentence or writing an outline/ thesis statement. You will probably find that it’s much  easier to keep going once you’ve started with this small first step. 

4. Keep Trying!!

Remember that most of us struggle with procrastination when it comes to specific tasks and you probably have years of “bad” procrastination habits under your belt that will take time to work through. Be patient with yourself! Try some of these strategies and see what works for you – maybe different things will work at different times. 

All the best, 

Team Insight 

I know most of you are probably looking forward to those days off just lounging around and relaxing all summer long, so someone like me who is telling you to study and prep for a test is a real party pooper.

However, there are some big advantages of studying for the SAT or ACT during the summer that are important to consider as you’re planning out your break. Here are just a few reasons why you may consider using those warmer months to hit the books: 

Firstly –  you can use it as your excuse to go do a really fun thing that you want to do.  So for example, your mom says no you can’t go to “Great America” theme park on Saturday with your friends, you say, “but mom, I’ve spent all week studying for the SAT/ACT and I just want to relax!” She’s more likely to let you go!

Secondly, It’s the easiest to study during the summer break when that is the only thing you have to focus on.  You won’t have an 8 hour day of school to attend, plus the homework, plus the extra-curricular activities that may keep you from giving the SAT/ACT your full attention. When you study in the summer time, you are most likely to focus on the specific test and what you need to do to reach your score goal. 

Thirdly, the best way to prepare for the test is to practice, practice, practice! And practice means taking diagnostic tests and reviewing them so you can better understand and fix your mistakes. Insight offers full-length diagnostic tests to allow students to take the test in a real testing environment – no cell phones or technology, a quiet room and the ability to see how you perform with no distractions. This is something you can do during the summer! You can also try to mimic that environment at home by putting your technology in another room and shutting out distractions while you take a practice test. 

Practicing a full test is also helpful because just understanding your body’s limitations and learning how to focus during the grueling four hours can really help you know what to expect on test day. Think of it like running a marathon – you wouldn’t decide one day to wake up and go run 26 miles right there and then, you practice with short and long runs over time to build up to the marathon. Taking a four hour test is the same! Ideally, you wouldn’t wake up one day and say “Ok, today I take the official SAT”. You want to practice what it feels like to sit and focus on the test for four hours so by the time you take the real test, your body and brain are used to that kind of pressure. 

Lastly, doing tutorials for the subject matter that you need to get more familiar with will also help you feel less anxiety on the day. You may still suffer from some form of mild test anxiety – don’t worry, this is normal! Knowing what it is for you, be it butterflies in your stomach, sweating, tapping your pencil, or erasing every imaginary stray mark – being aware is the first step in finding ways to cope. Taking deep breaths, focusing on something specific, going through a phrase in your head before the test may be what helps you. Whatever it is, having the opportunity to identify and practice is the best way to calm your nerves before test day, and why not utilize the summer to be able to do all of this and reach the goal you’ve set for yourself!

I hope that some of these reasons will be helpful when planning out your summer study! If you’re looking for a structured way to study for an upcoming test, Insight offers SAT and ACT classes throughout the summer. 

All the best, 

Jenny Bloom and Team Insight 

Our Massachusetts friends are snowed in! 

With a full day on your hands and the weather encouraging you to stay warm inside, here are our suggestions for how to be productive (in-between quick snowball fights and snowman making competitions, of course!) 

1. Study more for your exam that was supposed to be today 

2. Complete your long term projects that are due next week

3. Take a practice SAT or ACT, or that subject test you’ve been putting off because you didn’t have a free day

4. Complete your applications for summer volunteering & internships

5. Finish your free-write on how to be most productive away from school (and do a grammar check since it’s #GrammarDay today, March 4th, 2019) 

6. Research that college you’ve been eager to learn more about, including majors of interest

7. If you like what you read, schedule a campus tour on the school’s website

8. Create a google or excel spreadsheet to start tracking your extracurricular activity, club, volunteer, work, and summer hours

9. Block two hours to do something only for yourself

10. Check tomorrow’s weather report

Have fun and be safe!

The Insight Team

This is such a common question! And, unfortunately, it’s one of those questions that is best answered “it depends” because the right number really depends on YOU, your academic strengths and weaknesses and your long-term goals.

However, here are a few things you can think about as you make this decision: 

I like to think of course rigor and GPA as a unique equilibrium point for each student. The question you should ask each year as your signing up for classes is: Can I take THIS set of classes and still achieve the best possible grades??

Now, that doesn’t mean you should just take all easy classes to maintain straight As because colleges want to see that you are willing to challenge yourself. Keep in mind an AP class may be advanced for the high school level, but it’s really just a slow-paced introductory level college curriculum. Meaning, when you get to college ALL of your classes will be at that level or harder. Taking AP classes now will show colleges that you are prepared for college-level work. 

You should be willing to challenge yourself most in the areas related to your field of interest. If you say you want to be an engineer, but you are not interested in taking the most advanced math and science courses at your school, that should raise a red flag for you because it will for colleges.

It’s also good to challenge yourself with an AP class in something outside your chosen field like the engineer above could consider taking AP English or History at some point in high school to show colleges that you possess intellectual breadth—you are not just a one trick pony.

Above all, your default mode should not be to take every AP class available IF the evidence is that you cannot maintain solid grades while taking all the hardest classes at your school. Be strategic, take the classes that make sense for YOU and will still give you time to be involved in your school community, your broader community and do things outside of school that bring you joy.

All the best, 

Team Insight 

You’ve no doubt heard about the importance of volunteering, and how much colleges truly value service and community engagement. But what are good local South Bay Area volunteering opportunities?

The best kind of community service activities for college are those that actively engage or challenge you. So while sitting behind a help desk or handing out water bottles is a good place to start, this activity is not nearly as challenging or meaningful as something like designing a workshop for elementary school students, restoring natural habitat, or doing service activities with people from a totally different background than your own.

Here are some interesting Silicon Valley teen volunteering opportunities that are all very interesting!

Calling All Student-Athletes! [Los Gatos]

With Girls On The Run Silicon Valley, you act as a coach and inspire girls to be joyful, healthy and confident while learning and running! This is a great way to enjoy being outdoors while helping others at the same time! 

For Engineers and Drone Lovers [San Carlos]

If you love engineering and aviation, the Hiller Aviation Museum teen program is the ideal opportunity for you to work as a museum guide and share your passion with museum guests. Opportunities are available during the week and on the weekend, and teen volunteers can also getting programming experience too in the new invention lab!

For Future Lawyers (Or Businesspeople) With A Connection To Asia [San Jose]

If you’re interested in human rights, passionate about business and marketing or fluent in an Asian language here’s the chance to use your organizational skills for a good cause.

The Asian Law Alliance looks for volunteers, not just as interpreters, but also in marketing, media and more. The center is open from 9 to 5 PM, so this can be a perfect opportunity to take out some interesting community experience over the summer.

Do You Love To Code and Teach?  [San Jose]

If you dream in Java or Python and enjoy sharing this passion with others, then this is the program for you! With the Coding5K Challenge, you have the chance to teach children and lead a series of coding workshops using the provided curriculum.

Calling all Fashionistas! [San Jose]

Dress for Success empowers women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire and the development tools to help women thrive in work and in life. Volunteers assist with personal shopping, clothes sorting, and handling inventory.

Promote Mental Wellness and Physical Health! [Los Gatos]

The Eating Disorder Research Center (EDRC) wants you to help with job duties ranging from administrative work to writing press releases to helping out at health events.

Get Outside While Working with Friends [Santa Clara]

The Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority has a great opportunity to have fun outdoors while giving back and make a difference for the planet. The OSHA has a number of different programs, from internships to special projects. Ages 14 and up are welcome.

Curious about Crime and Justice? [San Jose]

Join the San Jose Police Department Cadet Program. You’ll get to learn all about government, law enforcement, and justice. Volunteer meetings happen once a week and teens can gain 15 volunteering hours every single month! Open to students ages 16 and up.

Get out there! 

All the best,

Team Insight

“Trust in your desire to give, remember how good it feels, and be open to opportunities to do so, especially when they are just at the edge of your courage.” – Charles Eisenstein

I’ve been conducting an experiment in my own life lately. It goes like this: a thought comes up, “I’d like to donate to the Compassion Collective,” or “I’d like to give a random gift to a friend,” or “I’d like to send a nice email to my son’s teacher.” Any number of thoughts immediately intervene to rationalize not taking these actions. The experiment is to ignore those thoughts and do it anyways—to trust in my desire to give.

Often, one of the compelling arguments against any small and random act of kindness is that I already give enough or I will do something bigger and better at some other time when I have more resources, more time, more energy, more more more. And what difference will this tiny act in the world make anyways? It’s always just a drop in the bucket.

This argument is particularly compelling to young minds, who also wonder what it is that they can do to make an impact with such limited resources, time and life experience. 

Mother Theresa’s answer to this argument is simple: “We cannot do great things on this Earth, only small things with great love.”

A student of mine recently proposed an idea for a service project he’d been thinking of that involved hosting a fundraiser for a charity abroad with which his family had a connection. As I listened to his ideas and his pitch for this charity’s work, I felt torn between encouraging his desire to give and pointing out that such an undertaking is so common that it’s become a cliché in the world of college admissions.

Harvard has released an important report called Turning the Tide, which seeks to both encourage and define “meaningful service” while discouraging “high-profile or exotic forms of community service, sometimes in faraway places, that have little meaning to them but appear to demonstrate [the student’s] entrepreneurial spirit and leadership.” The report goes on to say that “the admissions process should clearly convey that what counts is not whether service occurred locally or in some distant place or whether students were leaders, but whether students immersed themselves in an experience and the emotional and ethical awareness and skills generated by that experience.”

I had to find a way to help my student see the difference, and this is what I said:

“When you look at this idea of collecting money to donate it to an organization abroad, who is the giver and who is the receiver in this case?”

As we unpacked this admittedly esoteric question together, the following observations emerged:

It was hard to see how my student himself would learn from this experience or be challenged by it in a meaningful way. As Turning the Tide points out, so many “service” projects are designed to showcase leadership and entrepreneurial skills but miss the point that service is fundamentally about transforming our relationship to what is difficult in ourselves and in the world, not building a resume.

Many of my students already engage in activities that offer leadership experience and that teach them project management, team building, and other important organizational skills. Organizing a successful fundraiser is no small task, but is it at the edge of one’s courage? In this case, the answer was no. And in answer to that esoteric question above, the giver was really people who have amassed enough wealth to give some of it away and the receiver was an organization who could then determine how to funnel that wealth to other people in need, but my student himself wasn’t essential to that equation because he did not have any wealth of his own to give.

 “At 16 years old,” I asked, “is philanthropy what you really feel you have to give the world?” And after a pause, my student said that he had been mulling over the idea of starting an informal “club” or group for adolescents like himself who had lost someone close to suicide. The idea wasn’t fully formed and he felt he didn’t know where to begin or how to tackle something so complex.

“You have to follow that instinct,” I said, “and to do something like that, you are allowed to start small and in whatever way makes sense to you. Maybe you just meet a couple friends for coffee once a month and check in with each other.”

I should note that there was more to this conversation than can be covered in a single article—it is a topic unto itself. But what was meaningful and precious in this student’s instinct was the call to connect with others around a shared experience, to build a community, however small, in which the truth of their shared experience could be honored.  

“But why would colleges care about something that small?” he asked. “How would they even know?”

“Forget colleges for a second,” I said. “Ask yourself again, if you do this, who is the giver and who is the receiver?”

He admitted that he had as much to gain from this act of service as he had to give and that what was holding him back wasn’t what colleges would think, but the terrifying vulnerability of putting his own story out into the world, sharing his grief with others. And that is why it is so important for him to find the courage to do it. If he is scared, if he feels vulnerable, isn’t it likely there are other young people who share that experience and who could benefit from a community of voices echoing their common story?

To me, this is the seed of meaningful service: finding the courage to tap into our own suffering, which opens our hearts to the suffering of others—in doing so, this suffering becomes a gift to the world.

When the seeds we sow issue from this place of inner knowing and are nurtured with patience, kindness, and authentic concern for others, they grow. The club becomes a blog, becomes a podcast, a network of clubs, a research inquiry—it is sustainable and enduring because the cycle of giving and receiving continues.

In the words of Rabindranath Tagore:

I slept and dreamt that life was joy.

I awoke and saw that life was service.

I acted and behold, service was joy.